12 Leader Standard Work Questions to Ask on the Gemba

Many leaders have heard the buzzword, read the book, picked up a pad and pen and
headed out to the gemba to go see. Leader standard work is becoming a standard
component of lean implementations everywhere. In essence it has always been a pa
rt, under un-buzzy names such as daily management and genba kanri. Leader standa
rd work as a phrase seems to have some more staying power. In substance, leader
standard work is all about sustainability and accountability built into the prac
tice of daily, weekly and monthly checks of the actual condition of the gemba. G
oing to see is the easy part. All that takes is motivation and ambulation.
The degree to which a leader can quickly grasp the situation during a gemba walk
largely depends on the quality and variety of visual controls in use. But even
with excellent visual management, gaining a deeper understanding of the what one
is seeing requires thoughtful questioning and listening. This is what we might
call a "soft skill" and it is an area in which many leaders who have risen throu
gh the ranks due to their keen minds working out problems and their unfaltering
delivery of solutions, frankly struggle. Some leaders who have risen up from the
front lines are more comfortable on the gemba. Others feel embarrassed that the
y in fact know so little about what really goes on and are afraid to expose them
selves by asking questions. Others have no fear, but may waste time asking the w
rong questions. Knowing what to ask and how to ask it are completely different t
hings, and any leader preparing to practice standard work should first consider
getting some frank input on their soft skills.
In combination with basic soft skills, these 12 leader standard work questions t
o ask at the gemba will help make the go see learning more effective:
1. What is the standard? If you have to ask, you may not have shop floor managem
ent. Hopefully it will be clear at a glance thanks to good visual management. Ev
en if it is clear, this question can be useful to as the area team leader or tea
m member to check their understanding of the standard.
2. How do we develop a standard? In cases where a standard is ambiguous or lacki
ng, this question can be the start of a fruitful learning and improvement dialog
. Leaders should require standards that are documented, visual, and changing fre
quently as a result of continuous improvement.
3. How clear is the standard to those doing the work? Many times standards, rule
s or instructions may be posted as if to say "now we have visual management" whe
n in fact there has been no thorough training of the people in the area to under
gird these standards. Random audits by asking people about their work, such as "
How do you know that the quality is good?" or "How much variation is allowed bef
ore you should call for help?" will reveal the depth to which standards have bee
n put to use.
4. How clear is the standard to those not doing the work? Do we have to ask? If
so, we may not have shop floor management, much less visual management. Leaders
should require that they can understand the status of safety, quality and on-tim
e output in less then 5 seconds each. A truly visual workplace facilitates a 30
minute walk through to give a complete understanding of a snapshot of the busine
ss.
5. What is our performance against the standard? Once the standard is clear, thi
s is the first and most frequent question leaders ask when they go see. The resp
onse will generally be "on target" or "not on target" but the variation to these
responses as well as the off-center replies we sometimes hear to this straightf
orward question can reveal a lot about how well people understand their standard
s, targets and the internal customer-supplier relationship. In all cases, the re
plies lead to more questions and more learning.

6. Why are we not performing to the standard? This is the classic definition of
a problem and a golden opportunity for a leader to practice the 5 why questionin
g to help develop the thinking and problem solving skills of their people. Fight
the urge to give the answer!
7. Why are we performing above the standard? The kaizen mind thinks that "no pro
blem" is a problem. When we are consistently performing above the standard, we a
re either working to a false standard or we are using more resources than necess
ary. Both situation call out for creative thinking and continuous improvement.
8. What are we doing to meet the standard? This question gives people the benefi
t of the doubt that they have ideas, containment measures in place, or even full
-blown sets of countermeasures underway. The goal of leader standard work is not
to solve problems but to understand the situation, help others develop their th
inking skills, and then to remove obstacles or even solve problems. This questio
n enables people to present what is already being done or being evaluated. The s
oft skill required here is to bite your tongue no matter how bad the idea seems
(provided it is not unsafe) and let people try and learn through failure.
9. What can we
on that can be
e sure to have
you are asking

do to improve the current condition? This is an open-ended questi

used as a catch all in any situation, any condition, any gemba. B
at least 1 small improvement in your own mind in case the person
practices their reversing technique on you.

10. How can we make the abnormal condition more immediately visual? Often the re
ason problems persist is because they go undetected. The role of the leader is t
o demand ever greater degrees of visual management using quick, low cost means.
The fully electronic display boards linked in real time to dashboards and ERP sy
stems worldwide are almost never the answer, more due to the fact that they make
it possible to avoid going to see than the inherent inflexibility and cost. Pen
cil and paper have the benefit of almost no learning curve, low cost and ease of
correction.
11. Why do you think I asked you these questions? The true learning happens when
people practice what is called metacognition: thinking about thinking. When we
reflect on the thought process, the questions asked, the answers given, the foll
ow on questions, and the discussion leading to a consensus solution, we look bac
k and suddenly the whole process makes sense and seems so simple. It is easy to
put a fish into someone's bucket of water and call it dinner. That person may no
t know where to get the next fish. Only when they trace the fish back from the b
ucket to the hook to the water can they understand what to do the next time.
12. What other questions would you have liked me to have asked? This is the "res
pect for people" question. Some people speak their mind without hesitation when
they see a leader doing their gemba walk. When a certain level of trust and mutu
al respect has been reached, it should be no longer necessary to ask this questi
on as a way to draw out the true feelings and concerns of the people on the gemb
a. Once an environment has been created where it is safe to expose problems and
share ideas freely, the main use of this question is for the leader's learning.
So, what other questions would you ask while practicing leader standard work?
Read more: Blogging for Lean disambiguation & true kaizen | Gemba Panta Rei